Cinzia's Shepherd's Pie

Originally created in England to use up leftovers from the Sunday roast by adding any readily available vegetable, «shepherd's pie» found a new life in North America where corn was soon added to the basic recipe. In French Canada it is known as «China Pie», either because the cooks of the railway companies, who were making such a cheap dish, were all Chinese, or because some Québécois workers having eaten this meal in a city named China, Maine, brought the recipe back home towards the middle of the 19th century.

Before you start

Method

Prepare the vegetables: finely chop the onion; thinly slice the mushrooms; peel the potatoes, cut them in half then boil them 20-25 min until very tender. Drain them well and set aside.

Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the ground meat and sear it until it looses its red colour, about 4-5 min, then break it up with a fork. In order to brown the meat, it is important not to stir it at the beginning, otherwise it will release its juices and will «boil» rather than brown.

When the meat is golden-coloured, add the chopped onion then cook 2 min with stirring. Stir in the diced tomatoes, mushrooms, tomato paste, Tabasco sauce, and broth. Add the frozen peas and continue cooking until heated through, about 4-5 min. Add salt and pepper. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the contents to one large baking dish, or distribute it into individual baking dishes.

Pour the soy milk into a large microwave-safe bowl then microwave on medium-high a few minutes, uncovered, until very hot. Add the cooked potatoes and mash the mixture until it is creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place a spoonful of the potato mixture on top of the beef mixture, then gently spread it with a spoon to cover evenly.

Bake in the middle of the oven until the top is golden-brown, about 30 min. Serve.

Remarks

The pies can be frozen right after having been covered with the mashed potatoes and individually wrapped. They can be baked (taken directly from the freezer) for about 50 min at 205°C/400°F.